The Redskins officially jumped the proverbial NFL shark this weekend. They Ditka'd their team. If you don't know what "Ditka-ing" is, take a look at the definition I just made up:
dit·ka v.
1. To destroy or demolish your NFL teams future
2. To give away a large part of your future for a small part of your future
3. Trading like 80 draft picks for Ricky Williams or RGIII
v. dit·ka'd, dit·ka·ing
For those of you who don't know, back in 1999 Mike Ditka made draft day deal to get Ricky Williams on his New Orleans Saints team. The Colts chose running back Edgerrin James with the fourth pick in the draft and the Washington Redskins were ready to make the fifth pick when Ditka made an offer that the Redskins couldn't refuse.
The Saints gave up their first round pick (12th overall) in the first round and their third-, fourth-, fifth-, sixth-, and seventh-round picks in the 1999 draft as well as first- and third-round picks in the 2000 draft. The Saints had already traded their second round pick for '99, so that was it. They could have packed up and went home since it was their entire draft.
Ricky Williams did an OK job for the Saints, but not enough to warrant a trade of that magnitude. And now it's time for the Redskins to pay back the NFL and make it all even in the name of parity.
On Saturday the Redskins announced a trade of the 6th overall pick in this years draft, as well as their second-rounder this year plus first-rounders in 2013 and 2014 to the St. Louis Rams. In exchange, they received the 2nd overall spot this year and can take Robert Griffin III. The league will have to approve the trade first, but they're expected to do so.
That means the Redskins get a QB that could be another Peyton Manning or another Ryan Leaf in exchange for four very solid early picks in the draft over the next couple of years. I love RGIII, but the Rams fleeced the 'Skins. Nice work Jeff Fisher.
Hopefully for the Redskins, RGIII lives up to the hype. It's always risky with quarterbacks, but check out this highlight reel. The guy is pretty awesome:
